Scottish fish farm production survey 2017

4. Other Species

The Scottish aquaculture industry has continued to farm other species of fish during 2017. The production of brown trout (Salmo trutta) showed an increase, with the majority of production being for the angling restocking market. In 2017 there was production of halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) but the figure cannot be published without revealing the production from an individual company. No Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) or cod (Gadus morhua) were produced during 2017. Lumpsucker (Cyclopterus lumpus) and several species of wrasse (Labridae) were also produced in 2017. The production of lumpsucker and wrasse are targeted at the marine Atlantic salmon industry where they are used as a biological control for parasites.

Company, Site and Production Data

Table 40: Number of companies and sites producing other species in 2017, annual production of other species (tonnes) during 2014-2017 and estimated production in 2018

* Industry estimates based on stocks currently being on-grown.

t Production occurred but this cannot be shown without revealing the figure for an individual company.

‡ Estimate provided but cannot be shown without revealing the figure for an individual company.

Staffing

Table 41: Number of staff employed in farming other species during 2008-2017

In 2017, the overall number of staff employed in the production of other species decreased by one, to 62 staff.

Production of Cleaner fish

Table 42: Number (000’s) of cleaner fish produced during 2015-2017

In recent years lumpsucker and wrasse spp. have been produced for use as a biological control for parasites in the marine Atlantic salmon industry. Data on the number of fish produced has only been collected since 2015. As data for future years is collected it will show trends in cleaner fish production.

Ova Laid Down to Hatch

Table 43: Source of ova from other species laid down to hatch during 2017

§ Own broodstock ova was laid down to hatch but this cannot be shown without revealing the figure for an individual company.

Trade in Small Fish

Table 44: Trade in small fish of other species in 2017

# During 2017 there was trade of small halibut but figures cannot be shown without revealing the figure for an individual company.

There was also a small amount of production of: brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis) and tiger trout (Salmo trutta x Salvelinus fontinalis). However, due to the small number of companies in production, it is not possible to summarise these data without revealing the production of individual companies.

Organic Production

Of the 25 sites recorded as producing other species in 2017, no organic production was reported.

Escapes

There were two incidents involving the loss of 776 cleaner fish (283 lumpsucker and 493 wrasse) from sites rearing seawater salmon during 2017.